Improvement in cutting apparatus for ,harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. G. KNIFFEN, OF VORCESTFJR, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CUTTING APPARATUSVFOR HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,999, dated December24, 1861.

.To LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. G. KNIFFEN, of 'Worcester, in the county oflVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in the Cutting Apparatus for I-Iarvesters; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis specification, and in which- Figure I is a perspective View of somuch of a harvester or mowing and reaping machine as is necessary toillustrate my present inven# tion. Fig. 2 is a sectional end view online A B, lookingin the direction of arrow l, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is asimilar view on line x x, saine figure.

In the drawings, A represents a heel-piece having ears B B, by which tohinge the saine to the coupling-piece, as fully indicated in myapplication for a patent of even date herewith for improvements inmowing-machines.

To the heel-piece A is rfastened by bolts, rivets, or otherwisethe heelof the finger-beam l, to the under side of which the rear ends, c, ofthe guards or fingers D are fastened by rivets b, as indicated in Fig.3. After the guards are fastened to the finger-beam, narrowbearing-pieces d are placed on the front of the finger-beam at suitabledistances apart, their front ends striking against the elevations e ofthe guard-fingers D. After these bearingpieces are placed in position,the cutter-bar E, with its cutters F, fastened to its top side, isplaced on the front ends of the bearing-pieces, thus bringing thecutters F in the slots f of fingers D, when the constructer works thebar and cutters back and 4forth and observes whether the bearing-piecesallow the cutters to slide close in contact with the lower surface ofthe slots f, and which is formed in this instance by steel plates g,with sharp edges, fit- .has been accomplished, buttons 7L are placed onand over bearing-pieces d and cutter-bar and rear of the cutters, asindicated in the drawings, when they are riveted down to the finger baror beam C, and which in this in stance is effected by two rivets, a a,passing through button, bearing-piece, and ngerbeam. If preferred, thebutton can be riveted separately and only to the bearing-piece. It willbe understood, of course, that the holes in the nger-beam are allproperly bored in the first instance, so that, in fitting the bearing;pieces on, the rivets can be passed through them and the finger-beamvery easily, and as quickly removed, if found necessary.

Any suitable number of fingers are to be used, and which will dep end onthe length of the finger-beam, kthe outer end of which is to besupported by a shoe in any of the wella known modes. Only two fingersand three cutters are shown in the drawings, as these 'serve toillustrate my invention.

It will be seen that the cutter-bar rests and reciprocates on the narrowbearing-pieces, while its rear bearing is against the buttons, whichalso project over the rear of the cutters, and thus hold the cutter-bardown. The elevations e of the fingers or guards D form the front bearingto the cutter-bar. By this con struction and arrangement I am able touse a very short guard, a narrow finger-beam, and yet have very littlefriction resulting from the action of the cutter-bar, while nearly alltendency of the eutteribar to clog up is obviated, since there are openspaces j under and in rear of the cutter-bar between the bearing-piecesd, so that all matter calculated to clog up the cut-V ter-bar has freeeXit to the rear of the cutterbar. By elevating the cutter-bar I am ableto upset the heel thereof, as seen at k, Fig. 1, whereby the joint ofthe pitma'n therewith is brought down as low as if not lower than thecutters and in a horizontal plane with the joint of the heel-piece, withthe couplingpiece attached to the main frame. This arrangement allowsthe cutter-bar to work over the finger beam, and at the same time givesa good strong joint to operate the cutters by. It also enables thefinger-beam and cutter-bar to fold up readily by reason of both jointsbeing sonearly in the same horizontal plane, whereby when the cutter-baris thrown out to its full extent the joint of the pitman and theheel-piece A can be made to range in the same line. Fig. 2 shows a sideview of one of the guards, the top lip, G, of which in this instance iseast separately and then riveted ou, as indicated in 2. Elevating thecutter-bar E and supporting it above the nger-beain, in combination Withthe enlargement of the heel of the bar7 as seen at k, Fig. l, as and forthe purposes set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

L. G. KNIFFEN.,

Witnesses:

E. A. Woon, G. G. TAYLOR.

